Current-distributer for sparking devices.



N. 822,'7821 PATENTED JUNE 5. 1906.

J. M. SMITH. CURRENT DISTRIBUTBR FOR- SPARKING DEVICES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 23. 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2v UNITED STATES .PATENT OFFICEG JAMES M. SMITH, or PIIILaDELPHrA, .PENivSrLvANIa Assignee, si? DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, 0F TWO-THIRDSTQCILARENQE L. ALTEMUSAND HERBERT B. BoWLEsroF rnILA'D I1,LPHIai'rinne--V SYLVANIA.

, cuianENT-merelaureaFoal Is|=-iua| n-acw DEVICES- `lthe amount of apparatus and the number of electrical connections re uired for the spar Ing mechanism of a Inu ticyhnderinternalcombustionengine, and to this Aend I provide a relatively simple and reliable device for use in connection With a single induction-coil by which it is possible to produce charge-ignitv ing sparksin any desired number of enginecylinder's.

It is further the object of my invention to provide a sWitchof novel construction which.

shall be capable of successively connectingy the sparking terminals or devices of a number of engiI'Ie-cylinders With the secondar Winding' of an Induction-coil, which switc shall valso cause ythe primary Winding of said coil to be energized during some part of the time in Which its secondary circuit is so complated.l -I'also 'desire to'provide means for use in connection'with a switch having the characteristics'above noted by which it shall be possible to vary the times of the formation 'of the sparks in the various cylinders.

VThese objects I attain as hereinafter set forth, reference being lhad to the accompanying drawings, in which-k Figure 1. 1s a frontf elevation. of my im- -proved current-distribut'er'. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation on the line? 2,V Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of that portion of the current-distributer employed to control the flow .of current in the primary circuit of the induction-coil, and Fig. 4 isv adiagrammatic viewl illustrating the various electrical conneetions of my current-distributer and the 'parts with which it is connected. I In order to do away with much of the com pleX apparatus heretofore considered necessary in devices of the class to which my 1nvention belongs as Well as to reducethe number 'of parts requiring attention, I have provided a current-distributerv or switch having one portiongccnnected in circuit wvith the secondary Winding of a single Induction-coil and 'designed to successively connect the spark- .Specifgcatien of Letters Patent. --Appiicam nea my 23,1904. sriuia. 209.330.

SMITH, a citi# trically connected to 'Wires f j rammed aan@ i906; i

` ing terminals of thev various cylinders` cuit with said secondary y. ,Atsecondg 5 5 portlon of the current-distribnter for switch v'1s in circuit with the primary-4 tlie same coil'and is designedtofperiodioally close the circuit of said winding, .se as to energizel the secondary Winding OfthecQIIduriDg the 6o times inWhicl thisrlatter vcircuit.,with he various sparking terminals of the ETS'. 1

In the above drawings, frepre's'entsfan in-V closing`casing,of ib'er'or' other suitable insu- 65 lating material, su portedl in vany, =desired manner lso las to be ee torota'teto alimited,

,extent and having movable coverfplate a7,

held in position byhandledfnuts a8,- which .engage screws (L9, projecting'from theside of 7o saidcasin'g. A ait' a, forming part lof or v driyen from the main shafty of anengine'with Whichthe device 1s,to` bey used, ent ersl "s"aid casing and carries at 'its ends a metallic busliing t, upon which is a fiberbushingiBQ-having 7 5 x'edto it arnetallicringb. n f l Projecting radially and'jin' contact with, said metallic ring is a-tu'bular piece of metal b2, having Within 'it a contact-'brush ILyieldl ingly supported 'u oneJ spring b4 and de-i` 8f. signed to periodica ly engage theheadsof a series of boltsua, acyand offsett inthe 13eriphery of the casing and threadedat their outer ends for the rece tionlof nlifts'afand-a?, whereby they kare hel 4 ,in ositien and ele'c-v 8 5 eading tothe va.- rious engine-cylinc l'er s' .l There'is in addition a contact-brush am projecting into the cas#v f ing and permanently'engaging the contactthreaded for the rece tion of'anlit fdlthe at# tachment of a Wire eading rorntneendof the secondary Winding of the indue,tion-coil'.`v

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tion, on which is a nut e3 for the connection of a Wire from one end of the primary Winding f of the induction-coil F. vThe second end of this 'u-indiug is in connection Wi th one 5 terminal 'of anydesired form of current-interruptergusuch as thatindicated at f2, whose 'second terminal is connected to' a battery grounded on the metallic 'frame of the engine. Carried upon a stud D, supported in any to desired manner, is va4 toothed segment d, and there is al movable tooth or paWl d', carried by an armd, fixed to and projecting from thecasing A, which tooth is laced to engage the teeth of saidsegment. he upper 'end of lthe arm d2 carries a handle d3, through which extends a headed spindle d?, to Whose inner end is attached the'tooth d', there being in the present instance a screw d5 projecting from'said' tooth d and guided, in a slot d6 on zo the arm d?.

- Referring to Fig. 4, it Will'befseen that one 'end of the secondary Windingfl of the induction-coil F is 'connected to the contact-brush aman engagement with the ring b while.the

.2:5 'second end ofsaidW-inding is grounded on the frame ofthe machine.

` ed to one of the sets of s arking contacts `of an 'engine-"cylinder, of W 'ch ini-.the 'present 3o instance there are four, While" vthe second sparking' contact of each cylinder is ground- 'ed Aor .in ldirect connection- With the metal of said cylinder.

Under operative conditions the Vshafta is 53'5 rotatedand with it the rin c', las Well as the 45 WillA therefore be seen that the circuit of', the

` primary Winding'pf the induction-coil-is completed aften the completion of the circuit of the secondary'winding of said coil, so that a spark is caused to .pass between the terminals vin 'the desiredl cylinder at any predetermined time. If'it be desired to have said sparking occur relatively earlier or vlater in thegstroke of the engine, movement of the casing A by -Ineans of the'handle d3 will acconplish this,

55 end, the sparks-in' all of the cylin rs being formed earlier or later.

` It Will be seen that by the above combination'of ap aratus I am enabled to operate in thecase 1 ustrated four cylinders wlth but a 6o single sparkin coil, and it Will be readily un fderstood by tliose skilled in the artthat the number of cylinders so operated may be cen- `v'eniently increased without in any Way departing from the principles of my invention, A the one requisite being that the number of b Each of the terminal bolts a', a?, a3,- -and a4 is respectively connectefore it is de-` bolts af al, 86o., shall be changedso that there' shall be one for each cylinder, While the number of segments c2 shall also be correspondingly changed. 3

I claim as my invention- A 1. .A currentdistributer for a s arking system including a relatively fixedp and closed casing, terminals thereon havin contacts eX- tending Within the casing, a shat entering the casing substantially concentric With said contacts, a ring carried the shaft having a brus placed to engage the contacts when the shaft is rotated, a second brush carried Within the .casin so as to be maintained in engagement Wit the ring, a series of contacts carried by the shaft outside 'of the casing, Aand a third brush engaging said contacts, substantially as described. Y

2. The combination of a rotatable shaft, a brush, and -a series of electrically-connected contacts carried by said shaft, a relatively fixed brush` laced to engage'said contacts and a sec'on series of contacts placed to be engaged by 'said rotatably-supported brush, With means for varying the positions of the "second series of contacts and the ixed brush relatively to the rotatably-su ported parts of the device, said means inclu ing a casing inclosing the second series of contacts, an arm attached thereto, a notched quadrant, and a longitudinally-movable piece carried by said but insulated from arm having a portion constructed to engage said quadrant, substantially as described.

3. The combination' of a shaft carrying a piece'of insulating material, a ring on s aid., piece, a contact-brush connected to said ring,

an mclosing structure having a series ofterminals placed 'to be engaged by saidbrush as the vshaft revolves, a second contact-brush carried Within said inclosing structure in engagementwith said ring on the'insulating material, With a Contact on the shaft outside the inclosing structure, and a brush placed` on said structure to engage said contact, 'sub- I IO stantially as described.

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4. The combination of a shaft having on it a-pieceof insulatin material, a ring of metal on'said piece, a tui pressed plunger therein forming a brus also carried on said insulatin iece and in electrical connection Withsal ring, an inclosed structure having a terminal or series of termiular guide andv a s ringnals placed to be engaged by Asaid plunger and a contact-brush carried by and (projecting into the inclosed structure, sai lbrushl contacting with .said ring, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specication in the presence of tWo subscribing Witnesses.

JAMES M. SMITH Witnesses WILLIAM EfBRADLEY, Jos. H. KLEIN. 

